Life, the city | Vitrine, the underground festival of the South-West

Our journalist travels around Greater Montreal to talk about people, events or places that make the heart of their neighborhood beat.

Many festivals take place downtown or are produced by long-established promoters. In a more spirit undergroundtwo lovers of the South-West decided to create an independent neighborhood festival through a circuit of bars and little-known places.

“The South-West is a lively district that is just asking for something new and culturally vibrant,” says Clément Sageste. “The goal of the festival is to be the festival close to home, like in a village,” adds Moose Felinhi.

But of course, people from other “villages” of Montreal – whether Villeray, Le Plateau, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve – are welcome!

Clément Sageste reminds us that the South-West is a natural cradle of artists. It is notably a key place in the history of jazz in Montreal and it is where great artists like Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones grew up.

Clément Sageste and Moose Felinhi met in a shared work space in the Saint-Henri district, atelier 257. The first, who left France to settle in Montreal around ten years ago, is a photographer and the founder of Arts Le Média, an artist support agency. As for the second, a comedian and filmmaker of Moroccan origin, he lived in France and the United States before choosing to live in Montreal. He first lived in the Plateau, where there was a saturation of cultural offerings, he noted. In Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy, Griffintown or Verdun, the field is freer.

With a thirst for artistic diversity, he and Clément created the Vitrine festival in 2023, which for its first edition took place over a single day – while it took place over a week for its second presentation, running until the 6th. July.

“Last year, it was a pilot version with 50 artists performing for 20 hours straight,” says Clément. This year, we decided to change the formula by weaving a web in the neighborhoods of the South-West. »

An evening of humor on the program

Multidisciplinary, programming is under the sign of emergence, but it also includes already well-known names. On Wednesday evening, for example, the public meets for an evening of humor at the Siboire branch on rue Notre-Dame with three rising stars, Charlie Morin, Tranna Wintour and PO Forget. Thursday evening there is an evening of jam and live painting at Riverside St-Henri with GROWVE Mtl, a renowned musical improvisation collective (usually in residence at the Turbo Haüs bar).

The Vitrine festival kicked off on Sunday with the Rythmes culinaires event, where chefs cooked live, accompanied by DJs Ellxandra and MeloDrastik on the decks. “We want to break the rules by mixing disciplines. How can cooking influence music? How can music influence cooking?” Moose explains.

Around fifty artists in total

For our meeting, Clément and Moose arranged to meet us on rue Wellington, a pedestrian street during the summer in Verdun. Tuesday evening, it is on this artery that the evening will take place, which begins at the Palco bar with an improvisation match from the LUDIC League (from the University of Montreal) and which continues opposite, in the Benelux, with a show by the “looper” Oli Page and Soulium, a group that mixes jazz and progressive rock.

In addition to the events listed above, let us also mention the closing gala on Saturday, July 6, in the Imagemotion loft in Griffintown, which will bring together most of the artists in the program, in addition to a fashion show and a sale of works at auction.

Note two events beyond the borders of the South-West: an art market and a screening of short films at the Union Française (opposite Viger square) this Monday evening, and a DJ Battle Friday at L’Éloi studio (in Outremont).

Clément and Moose do not have a sponsor, but they did a crowdfunding campaign with La Ruche. They have a team whose members are paid according to their involvement. They do not want to arm themselves solely with volunteers in order to create a festival model that can last and which could be eligible for subsidies. There is also a sharing of ticketing with the artists, and it is a lower financial risk to collaborate with local businesses rather than renting performance halls. Give and take, they summarize. And just like for the first edition, they can count on the presence of MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.

According to the two acolytes, Montrealers need renewal, especially in this period of recession. And the community underground needs light and an event like that of the Vitrine festival, they argue.

Visit the Vitrine festival website